Numerous mechanisms are well known for storing information and also for storing, printing and ispensing data. Such mechanisms commonly employ a central processing unit or CPU with a peripheral device for printing and dispensing data. For the most part such mechanisms, due to their weight, size and enrgy consumption are relegated to stationary applications in proximity to a convenient source of power.
The operation of such ticket printing and dispensing devices under the control of a microprocessor controlled by an operator actuated keyboard is well-known in the art. A typical example of such a device is a microporocessor controlled csh register, as used in retail stores for the printing of sales tickets. Apart from requiring an external poer sourc, and, being cumbersome, of large size and heavy weight, such devices are usuallly relegated either to the printing of sales receipts on a roll of paper in ribbon form, or, if interleaved sales tickets are employed, require the device prior to the printing of the ticket, usually with the requirement for manual withdrawal of the ticket after details of the transaction have been printed thereon.
Portable mechanisms also are well known, such as battery powered miniaturized electrically driven calculating machines, which include an electrically driven feed for a ribbon of paper tape, and, an electrically driven pin-block type printing head which is electrically powered and operated under the control of a microprocessor. While these mechanisms can be employed at locations remote from a fixed energy source, they can only be so emplyed for limtied periods of time without replacement of the self contained energy source, owing to the rather heavy drain imposed on the self contained energy source in the actuation of the feeding and printing mechanisms.
Invariably, portable battery powered devices are relegated to relatively light usage for relatively short periods of time, and, to situations in which recharging or replacement of the energy source is readily available. As a consequence, such devices are usually condined to interior use, and do not lend themselves readily to use in the open, particularly in adverse weather conditions.
Portable devices are also well known which include amicroprocessor controlled by an operator actuated keyboard, and which are capable of storing information fed into the microprocessor. A typical example of such a device is a hand held computer having an output terminal by means of which information stored within the microprocessor can be transferred to some other device, such as a computer or printer.
While such devices are well known in their separate specific applications, the combination of the respective mechanical and electrical functions into an integrated portable device has heretofore been considered as being either impractical due to the excesive power consumption and the rapid depletion of the energy source, or, due to the excessive size and weight thereof.
The major problem confronting such electrically powered portable devices, is the requirement for frequent recharging or replacement of the energy source, which commonly is in the form of a rechargeable battery pack comprised of nickel-cadmium cells, and the loss of stored data if the power is lost or significantly reduced prior to recharging.
It has also been recognized that if an electrically powered device could be made available having minimal power consumption, then, many long felt needs could be satisfied.
One particularly advantageous use of such a device is in the control of ticketing of illegally parked vehicles. Parking violatios are usually issued by municipal employees who first identify a vehicle, and, if their suspicions are aroused, then telephone a central office for information as to the possibility of the vehicle having been stolen; and then, where appropriate, to manually write out a parking violation ticket.
This practice is time consuming, and has proven to be dangerous to the employee. Regretably it is quite common for the employee to be vrbally and physically threatened, and often physically abused while wirting out the ticket. The on-the-job injury rate for cmpliance personnel is one of the highest among municipal emplyees.
One manner of overcoming these problems is to lessen the time required for the identification and ticketing process, by providing the employee with a portable unit which provides information as to stolen vehicles, and which also provides a means to readily and correctly issue a violations ticket.
This presents many problems, not the least of which is the nature and format of the tickets, which, almost universally are forms consisting of multiple part sets of carbonless stock. These are difficult to deliver in sequence due to their bulk, dimensions, and surface characteristics. THus, to date, tickets are written by hand from a prenumbered inventory provided each officer. This method is not only inefficient, it is costly both in time taken and lost revenues. It is estimated that tens of millions of dollars are lost annually because heandwritten tickets are illegible, or are incomplete, with the consequence that an accused violator cannot be located and the stipulated fine collected from the violator.
Further, strict control over the number of tickets distributed becomes difficult since all tickets must be accounted for by manual accounting and visual inspection.
While it has previously been recognized that a portable automated system would be beneficial in overcoming these problesm the requirements of portability, information storage, multiple functionality, and particularly the delivery and printing of multiple set ticket forms over the standard eight hour work shift were heretorfore considered impossible.
A principle problem resides in the amount of electrical energy required to operate known mechanisms, and in the providion of an adequate portable supply of electrical energy. THe batteries requred are of such bulk and weight as to negate the concept of portability. The energy required merely to deliver the ticket stock to the printing head poses sufficient energy consumption as to render such a system unsuited to its intended purpose.
The present invention solves these problems and provides a device which not only has applicability in the issuing of parking ticket violations, but also has appliability in any use where selected information is to be stored, recalled, and to which can be added new information recorded either in permanently printed form or in memory or both.
Exmaples of such uses are in the issuing of inventory tickets, and, the simultaneous development of an inventory stored in thememory of the microprocessor; as a portable device for use by sales persons in the issuing of sales receipts, again with a retained memory of the information stored in the memory of hte device; the issuance of purchaser receipts at auctions; or, for any other such rlated purpose requiring mobility and portability of the ticket processing equipment.
A particularly advantageous use of the device is in the issuing of identification labels and the simultaneous development of an inventory of the articles so labeled at the source of their derviation and remote from their ultimate destinatio, such as genetic materials, biological or chemical specimens, geological or archeological materials and the like. Typical of such uses is the labeling at the source of specimens of bacterial, viral or fungal contaminents, tissue cultures, blood or other body fluids in the hospital, health care and food industries, and in the labeling at the source of terrestrial core samples, water samples and the like.